The Chronicles of the Nebuchadnezzar
by SpoonGirlTrinity
Summary: Days in the life and times of the Nebuchadnezzar, mostly pre-Neo. Ever wonder what the crew did before finding Neo? Now you know.
1. Author's Notes

Author's Note: This is a collection of stories about the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar. It's mostly pre-Neo, but I'll try to throw in some stories about him aboard the ship, too. Don't expect any big dramas, although you might get some Apoc/Switch fluff if I'm in a good mood.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them, didn't think of them, not making any money off of them. Just an avid fan with too much time on her hands trying to fill in the backstory of her favorite movie. 


	2. Apoc Got Back

"Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm." Apoc hummed to himself as he worked. "La lala la dee da." Cypher stuck his head around the corner.  
"What are you doing?"  
Apoc looked up. "I'm fixing the winch. Morpheus says we're bringing someone in soon, and it has to be working. We don't want a repeat of last time." He winced as he thought of how they almost lost the last person they unplugged.  
Cypher frowned. "No, I mean what are you doing. You're singing something. What is it?"  
Apoc laughed. "Just something from my Matrix days."  
"Well, aren't you going to tell me what it is?"  
"You probably wouldn't know it anyway," said Apoc, turning back to his work.  
"I'll have you know I listened to quite a few tunes while I was plugged in." Cypher was visibly annoyed, but Apoc just shook his head. "C'mon, try me. I bet I know it."  
"Okay," Apoc grinned. "You asked for it." He put down his tools and stood up. "I like big butts and I cannot lie," he sang, "you other brothas can't deny."  
Cypher joined in. "When a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face, you get sprung!"  
Apoc stopped and looked at Cypher, a quizzical expression on his face. "Once again, Apoc," grinned Cypher, "you have underestimated me." He picked up a wrench. "Now let's get this finished before King Morpheus comes back."  
The two went to work, laughing and singing. "So, fellas!" "Yeah!"  
"Fellas! "  
"Yeah!"  
"Has your girlfriend got the butt?"  
"Hell yeah!"  
"Tell 'em to shake it! Shake it, shake it, shake it! Shake that  
healthy butt. Baby got back!" Soon, they had abandoned their repairs altogether and were dancing around the deck, waving their tools and shouting at the top of their lungs.  
"My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hon!"  
They were so loud that they didn't hear the footsteps approaching. Trinity stood at the entrance to the loading deck, arms crossed. Her expression was a mixture of amusement and distaste. She cleared her throat, trying to get their attention.  
Nothing. She tried again.  
Still nothing.  
Finally, Apoc turned around, thrusting his pelvis and bending his knees as he danced the Butterfly. The sight of Trinity leaning against the wall trying to suppress her laughter caught him off guard. He fell over backwards, knocking into Cypher, who was busy doing the Cabbage Patch.  
"Go Cypher, go Cypher, it's my birthday, it's my-oof! Damn, Apoc!" He looked up and saw Trinity standing over them, smirking.  
"Oh, uh, hi, Trin," he stammered. "We were just, um." Cypher looked at Apoc.  
"Yeah, we were, I mean, it was, I mean, uh.yeah." The two men were tripping over each other trying to stand up and explain their actions to the second-in-command.  
Trinity interrupted. "I trust you two are almost finished with the repairs," she said coolly. Apoc and Cypher nodded, too embarrassed to do anything else. "Good. Morpheus wants everyone in the Core in five minutes. We're going in." She turned on her heel and walked off.  
Cypher and Apoc looked at each other for a second, dumbfounded. Suddenly, they burst into gales of laughter. "We better get this finished," Apoc said. They quietly went back to work. After a few minutes, Cypher lifted his head.  
"Apoc, do you hear that?"  
"No. What?"  
"Just listen." They stood silently for a moment before Apoc spoke.  
"Is that.?" He shook his head. "No way. It can't be." They listened some more. A female voice came floating down the hallway.  
"Stop! Collaborate and listen. Ice is back with a brand new invention."  
"Damn!" Apoc strained to hear some more. "It is!" The two men glanced at each other again, and collapsed in a fit of laughter. 


	3. In Hot Water

            It was a lazy day aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. The crew, sans Morpheus, was lounging all over the core, playing truth or dare. It was the only thing to do aboard a ship with no television, no radio, and no captain around. 

            "Trinity, truth or dare." Cypher was sprawled out in one of the loading chairs.

            Trinity grimaced. "Shit, Cypher, you know I hate this."

            "You're going to hate it even more if you pick truth," he grinned.

            Half laughing, Trinity threw a computer disk across the room at him. "Fine, dare."

            Cypher and Apoc exchanged furtive glances. They both knew what was coming up. "Sing. Any song, top of your lungs, over the intercom."

            Trinity groaned. "Fuck you, Cypher," she growled. "Fuck. You. Sideways."

            "Hey, you're the one who picked dare, Trin," commented Tank. She shot him the finger and the evil eye, then put on the headset and turned on the intercom. She was so mad she could hardly speak, let alone sing. _They know I can't sing,_ she thought angrily. _Those assholes. _Pushing aside her anger and embarrassment, she took adeep breath.

            "We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine. We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine!" She turned to Cypher, ignoring the snickers coming from Mouse and Switch. "Are you happy now?"

            "Nope," came the mocking reply. "You have to sing the whole thing."

            "Whatever," Trinity scoffed. "I did my dare. It's someone else's turn." She turned to where Apoc was spinning in the operator's chair. "Apoc, truth or dare?"

            He stopped spinning. "After that? You better believe I'm choosing truth."

            "Okay," Trinity's expression was pure evil. "Who's the sexiest person you know?"

            "Real world or Matrix?

            "Real world."

            "Um…" Switch's eyes widened, and she leaned forward expectantly. Her relationship with Apoc was still new, and she was sure of what he'd say.

            Apoc started spinning again. "Trinity," he said casually.

            "Yes?" 

            "No, I mean Trinity is the sexiest person I know."

            Switch fell out of her chair. Everyone turned to look at her.

            "Sorry, just lost my balance." Getting up, she brushed herself off and turned to Apoc. "I'm going to go lay down. Don't bother following me," she said pointedly. Dozer scrambled out of her way as she ran for the ladder. All eyes turned to Apoc.

            "What?"

            Trinity stood up and headed for the ladder. "Shut up, Apoc," she hissed. "Just shut up."

            "What did I do?" Apoc was genuinely confused.

            Dozer shook his head and started for the mess. "Come on, Tank. Let's get something to eat." Tank followed his brother. "You too, Mouse."

            Mouse tore his eyes away from his picture just long enough to see Dozer disappear. "Why? What? What did I do, did I do something wrong? I'm not even hungry! Why are we—ouch!" Tank grabbed him by the arm and steered him out of the core. "Fine, I can take a hint. I know when I'm not wanted."

            Cypher turned to Apoc. "What the hell was that all about?"

            Apoc kept spinning. "What the hell was what all about?"

            "You just don't get it, do you?" Cypher grabbed the spinning chair, stopping it mid-circle and throwing Apoc to the ground.

            "What, because I said Trinity was sexy? She is," Apoc protested, picking himself up. Cypher just glared at him. "Oh, don't give me that look, Cypher. You know you were thinking it, too."

            "That's beside the point, dumbass. What happened after that?"

            Apoc thought for a moment. "Let's see…I said Trinity was hot, Switch fell out of her chair, Switch left the--ohhhhhh." The sudden realization hit him square in the face, as if he had been punched. "I'm in deep shit, aren't I?"

            "You bet your ass you are.

            Apoc was suddenly very worried. "But she should know that I really didn't mean anything by it. It was just a game; we were just playing around. She knows I don't want anyone but her…right?"

            "Let me tell you a little something about women," Cypher said, throwing his arm around Apoc's shoulders. "Whatever you think they know, they don't. You have to tell them things, or else they get weird and start accusing you of doing things you'd never even dream of. Like Switch." Cypher gestured in the direction of the living quarters. "She's probably down there right now, telling Trinity all kinds of awful things about you, half of which are completely implausible. But you know what? Both women are going to believe all those things. Why? Because they're women. That's what they do." 

            Stunned, Apoc opened his mouth, but couldn't speak. He stood there, opening and closing his mouth for a minute before finally finding his voice. "Really?"

            "Really. Now you've got some serious apologizing to do. I suggest you get down to it. Quick." Cypher walked off in the direction of the mess.

            Apoc sat down in the operator's chair, completely silent. _I've really done it now. I can't believe I said that! What the hell was I thinking? Of course I think Switch is the sexiest person I know. I mean, damn! _He started spinning again. _Come on, Apoc. Think. How are you going to get her back? What can you do that will make her understand?_

Suddenly, he stopped spinning and grabbed the headset. He flipped on the intercom, not caring that the whole ship could hear, and began to sing. "Oh yeah, I'll tell you something I think you'll understand, Then I'll say that something, I wanna hold your hand. I wanna hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand. Oh please, say to me you'll let me be your man, And please say to me, you'll let me hold your hand. Now let me hold your hand, I wanna hold your hand. And when I touch you, I feel happy inside, It's such a feeling that my love I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide."

Inside her cabin, Switch froze, listening to the screeching coming over the intercom. "What the hell is he doing?

Trinity covered her ears. "Sounds like he's skinning a cat." She reached up to turn the volume down, but Switch caught her wrist. 

"No. I want to hear it." She sat down on the floor, back against the cold metal.

"Switch? Switch, I know you can hear me. Look, I just want you to know—I should have said you. That would have been the truth. You're the only one I want, Switch. You're the only one I'll ever want. I—"

He was interrupted by a crash, and then a pair of soft lips crushing his. "Switch…" he gasped when the lips finally pulled away. Switch laid a finger over his lips. 

"Shhh. Don't ruin this moment." 

Apoc covered her small hand with his large one, and pulled her close with the other hand. "Mmph oovv ooo."

Switch uncovered his lips, but her hand never left his face. "What?"

"I said I love you." The lips again, crushing his, drawing his breath out. "I love you too, Apoc."

Deep in the bowels of the ship, Morpheus lifted his head and smiled. All was well on the Neb once more.


End file.
